Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



F. WOHLGEMUTH.

Breech- Loading Fire-Arm.

No. 90,214. Patented May 18, 1869.

QCW @tw iiinited gem Letters Patent No. 90,214, dated May 18, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING- FIRE-ARMS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part Of thesame.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that l, Fnmnntcn Wontemir'rn, of the city and county of NewYork, and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Fire-Arms; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe annexed drawing, making part of this specification, in which- Figure1 is a side view of a break-down breechloading fowling-piece, with myimprovement applied thereto.

Figures 2, 3, and 4, are detail parts of my invention, and of the gun towhich it is applied.

My invention consists in combining with a breakdown breech-loadingshot-gun, fitted with a suitable lock, to secure the barrel, a.breech-loading rifle-barrel, made to slip in the breech of the shot-gun,and with an enlargement, or flange on its rear end, to hold it inposition when the barrel is locked, ready to fire.

The stock of the gun is represented in the drawing by B, the barrel by'A, the breech-loading rifle-barrel by O, the cartridge by D, andthepercussion-piu by E.

A break-down breech-loading shot-gun is well known, 7

so that no special description of it is here necessary.

\ This one is, however, fitted with a barrel-lock, to hold down thebreech of the shot-barrel, and draw it against the breech-piece of thestock.

/ This barrel-lock consists of a lever, 5, connected to the lower' partof the stock, and fitted with a mum shaped collar, x, which, when thebarrel is brought down to its place, matches into the jaw y, and drawsthe breech of the barrel down hard in its place upon the lever, beingthrown back in the position shown by the drawing.

The advantage of this invention is in the facility with which asmooth-barrel gun can be converted into a rifle.

A longitudinal section of the rifle-barrel is shown by ti". 2.

a tis about half the length of the shot-barrel, though it. may be longeror shorter, but to be eiiicient it should not be much shorter, and to beconvenient it should not be much longer.

About half the length of the shot-barrel (the gun being oftlie usuallength) is a very convenient and efficient proportion.

A soldier or sportsman can carry the rifle-barrel in a sidc'sliug, orsack, similar to that in which a bayonet is carried, and can'in aninstantconvert his shotgun into a ride, having nothing to do but unlockhis barrel, let it drop down, and inserthis rifle-bore, as.

shown in fig. 1, bring back the barrel, lock it, and the gun is a rifle,capable of very accurate execution at long range.

The rifle-barrel being short, throws the weight near the shoulder of thegnnner,secnring steadiness, and the shot-barrel, being long, offers theincidental advantages of a long barrel in taking sight.

Having now described the nature and advantage of my invention,

1 claim as new herein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent-Combining, with a break-down breech-loading shot-gun, titted with abarrel-lock, as shown a breechloading rifle-barrel, made with a smallflange on its rear end, and to fit the shotbarrel only at its rear end,

the rifle-barrel to be secured by the said lock, and to be of any lengthless than the shot-barrel.

FRIEDRICH WOHLGEMUTH.

Witnesses:

OHS. WEHLE, L. H. ROWAN.

